The Hadlee Stand will be pulled down at Christchurch's AMI Stadium and doubts remain over the future of the whole ground.

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority has issued the Christchurch council with a demolition notice for the Hadlee Stand. The news comes as a result of the damage sustained in February's earthquake which caused vast destruction to the city of Christchurch.

But with the Crusaders set to return to the city for their 2012 Super Rugby campaign - although at a different ground - the future of the historical AMI Stadium is still up in the air. The council's community services manager John Filsell told the Star Canterbury that - "The council is still working through engineering options, and recommendations will be presented to the council for a decision".

The indecision over the stadium is also reflected by Cantebury Rugby CEO Hamish Riach. When asked whether rugby would ever return to the stadium he said: "I don't know. We need to trust the experts to tell us.

"Until we get the experts' view, it's all a bit premature. We are waiting for the official word."